Considering moving to the boonies

[skieur]

I consider all of canada to be red necky and in the boonies.

Well except for Vancouver BC, that place looks nice

Actually, according to the journalists on both sides of the border, Canada's red necks are the equivalent of US Republicans. One of our Liberal Prime Ministers was called a Pinko by a US President. Our Conservative party equals the US Democratic Party. :lmao:

skieur

 

[skieur]

It is becoming an interesting saga of real estate agents and I am learning fast to throw away any preconceived notions or biases.

I needed 2 sets of agents: one for my urban area and one for the boonies.
I expected a lot from the "award winning", experienced, qualified brokers with a university degree, from the urban area and I did not know what to make of what seemed to be a "hick" type with limited education as the real estate agent in the boonies.

What is interesting is that the hick from boonies turned out to be the better real estate agent in skills, strategy, intelligence, and dealing with people than the 2 experienced super-qualified, award winning urban pros. In a style that I truly admire, the buying boonies agent said to the 2 pro sellers over the phone. What do I have to do, come down there to the city and sell that home for you, so that he can buy the home here?

Boy, I think I am going to like the style here in the boonies.

skieur

 

[skieur]

It seems now that I may have to rent an infrared thermal imaging camera ($4,000 plus to buy), in order to prove that I do NOT have leaks in the basement of the house that I am trying to sell.

Wow, buying and selling homes has become extremely more complicated then it ever was in the past!

skieur

 

[skieur]

After about 70 showings and comments such it needs updating... Updating by the way means:

1. totally gutting the kitchen and putting in granite counters, an island, built in stainless steel appliances etc, ceramic backsplash, and ceramic floor all according to the taste of the particular buyer.

2. All bathrooms also need to be gutted and changed in to spa-like relaxation rooms.

3. All carpetting needs to be removed and replaced with hardwood.

Oh and the buyer is "supposed" to discount the place by $50,000 to $70,000 to allow the buyer to do this.

Then the house inspector comes in, who may or may not be competent. In a home that is older that 15 years, he will point out water stains and indicate there are leaks that must be repaired, irrespective of whether they are dry and were previously repaired by the former owner. He might also point out minor shingle problems as the necessity for major roof repairs etc. or vague issues such as in his opinion a clogged drain, despite all sinks and toilets working fine.

One wonders about the legitimacy of the process, when the inspector only accepts cash from the buyer, does not seem to speak or write French or English well and may have been recommended by the realtor.

You can probably guess that the agenda is to further discount the price of the house due to these apparent "deficencies".

Boy, the process of selling a house has drastically changed in the last 10 to 15 years.

skieur

 

[skieur]

Well, I finally sold my house in the city and am moving to a place that nobody has ever heard of, even the moving companies.

We have moved a lot, and no move has ever gone smoothly. In one case on moving day the lawyers were arguing about a garage between 2 feet closer to the fence line than it should have been. In another case we arrived with moving trucks to the new place on closing day and the owner's movers had not even arrived yet to move them out.

I would guess that the worst that could happen this time, would be a major snow storm up north.

skieur

 

[altitude604]

Storm just passed through this part of the North.

From nothing to snowdrifts in front of my house in two days! lol

 

[skieur]

Well the moving company came for a quote. Would you believe the estimate came in at 20,000 pounds of stuff to be moved? It will apparently take 2 and 1 half to 3 days. At least I am not paying a dollar per pound. :lmao:

skieur

 

[skieur]

I think I must be close to breaking a record in moving costs. The estimate has gone to $8,700 amd may escalate further and this si only for a 2 hour distance within the same province.

skieur

 

[skieur]

Most people seem to assume that since the government has some control of the insurance industry that insurance rates will be very similar in price.

Guess again. Three quotes i receive ranged from a low at $2,100 to a high at $3,100. I would imagine that with more quotes the range would get even wider.

skieur

 

[skieur]

Boy, the things that you find when you are packing to move: 3 boxes of Phd thesis notes, a black and white Jiffy Kodak camera from the 40s, research on civilization in the B.C. period, a 40 plus year old newspaper from Tanganyika, Africa celebrating their independence, Life magazines from the 60s, Super 8 movies, 3/4 inch videocassettes, reel videotape, Amiga computer software, a filmstrip and audio cassette, flash bulbs, 45 records, and of course photos that I had even forgotten I had taken.

skieur

 

[Josh66]

Well the moving company came for a quote. Would you believe the estimate came in at 20,000 pounds of stuff to be moved? It will apparently take 2 and 1 half to 3 days. At least I am not paying a dollar per pound. :lmao:

skieur

How much are you paying (or, quoted to pay)?

We did a 2,500 mile move not long ago and it came in around $8000. After the fact, we figured that it would have been cheaper to just buy new stuff when we got to the destination. MUCH cheaper if you factor in selling the old stuff.


edit
I know that the next time I do a move like that, it's going to go a lot differently. I'll sell everything but what I don't want to part with, and use the funds to pay for the move and replace what I sold. The lightened load should make the move much cheaper, and I'll likely need new 'stuff' anyway.

 

[CCericola]

Don't feel bad. I still have unpacked boxes from college that were moved to our first apartment in Philadelphia, then moved to an apartment in New Jersey, then to our first house. They are in the attic, still unpacked and I only vaguely remember what is in them

 

[skieur]

Well the moving company came for a quote. Would you believe the estimate came in at 20,000 pounds of stuff to be moved? It will apparently take 2 and 1 half to 3 days. At least I am not paying a dollar per pound. :lmao:

skieur

How much are you paying (or, quoted to pay)?

.

The quote was $8,700 for about 100 miles. They are looking at 2 to 3 days and it may be more if there is a major snowstorm for example which slows them down or they run into other problems.

skieur

 

[skieur]

Don't feel bad. I still have unpacked boxes from college that were moved to our first apartment in Philadelphia, then moved to an apartment in New Jersey, then to our first house. They are in the attic, still unpacked and I only vaguely remember what is in them

There is a very large attic above my garage in the new place.

skieur

 

[Josh66]

Well the moving company came for a quote. Would you believe the estimate came in at 20,000 pounds of stuff to be moved? It will apparently take 2 and 1 half to 3 days. At least I am not paying a dollar per pound. :lmao:

skieur

How much are you paying (or, quoted to pay)?

.

The quote was $8,700 for about 100 miles. They are looking at 2 to 3 days and it may be more if there is a major snowstorm for example which slows them down or they run into other problems.

skieur

I would have expected it to be much cheaper with the shorter distance.

Are you doing your own packing, or are they doing it?

We had most of the packing done already, and let the movers pack up the last few boxes. That may be why our move was close to the same price, with considerably more miles. Plus, it was summer - no bad weather or delays...